RAISING AWARENESS : The Oaktree Foundation general manager of overseas projects Jess Jacobson holds an example of the restricted diet she’ll be on while she takes part in the Live Below The Line campaign.IMAGINE the trauma you would feel if you had to choose between feeding your family or getting medical help for your sick child.

These impossible choices have to be made by those who live below the poverty line.

The Oaktree Foundation’s campaign Live Below The Line aims to combat extreme poverty in the Asia-Pacific region through generating awareness and raising funds.

“The campaign is into its third year and I have been inspired by what people can achieve when they put their hands up and step out of their comfort zones,” said Oaktree Foundation general manager of overseas projects Jess Jacobson.

In Live Below The Line, participants live off just $2 a day for five days and raise funds through their sponsorship.

Ms Jacobson has participated in all three campaigns and said the experience was one she will never forget.

“It is eye-opening, you are not going without but your choices are cut off,” she said.

“These people live entirely on this amount every day. It is not just for food, it is for everything.”

Ms Jacobson encouraged people taking part to fully engage with the issue.

“Realise where you fit in to the equation and how you can be the solution,” she said.

While the campaign is confronting, it can be a lot of fun too, especially if you take part with a group of people.

“Get a group of people together and you can cook together and fundraise together and have each other for support, it is fun” she said.

Live Below The Line will run from May 7-11. For further information visit the Oaktree Foundation’s website.

DOG DETECTIVE: Simon Crombie on the West Beach boardwalk which is the scene, he alleges, for indiscretions by dog owners. Picture: Tony Cross.A CASE of dogs and their owners behaving badly in Burnie has not gone unnoticed, despite the Burnie City Council voting to let sleeping dogs lie.

What started out as a simple exercise by Cooee man Simon Crombie turned up 36 breaches of the Dog Control Act and the council’s Dog Management Policy.

Mr Crombie recorded the breaches over one week and presented them to the council last Tuesday night.

One of those breaches were detected within 30 metres of a designated dog exercise area.

In a letter to the council accompanying the submission, Mr Crombie called for the council to act by increasing the funding for animal control seven days a week and noted that the revenue that could have been raised from the breaches he detected would have totalled $6760.

The councillors voted to keep the status quo, agreeing they were satisfied current commitments to municipal dog control provided a reasonable level of comfort, convenience and safety for the community with respect to the purpose and objectives of the Dog Control Act 2000.

Burnie Mayor Steve Kons and aldermen Malcolm Ryan and Jim Altimira thanked Mr Crombie for his considerable effort and time to prepare the submission.

Following the decision, Mr Crombie said he felt patronised by the aldermen’s comments and decision to do nothing.

Mr Crombie said he was trying to show people were not using the current dog exercise areas following a discussion at a previous council meeting about creating fenced dog exercise areas with CCTV, Astro Turf and electronic swipe card access.

Mr Crombie said he couldn’t see the point in creating designer dog exercise pens when dog owners were not using the facilities currently provided and not enough was being done to enforce the current dog laws.

The Burnie City Council’s land and environmental services officer, Patrick Earle, said animal control was about providing a reasonable, balanced and practical approach.

“It’s unnecessary to reach for a big stick – people don’t respond to that.”

Mr Earle said, in most cases, it was enough for a council officer to politely ask people to put their dog on a lead or move out of a restricted area.

SHARING HIS PAST: John Bates at the Wynyard Anzac Day service. Picture: Grant Wells.HUNDREDS rallied at the Somerset and Wynyard Anzac Day services to keep the memory alive of those who fought in past and present wars.

At 90 years “young”, John Bates was one of many returned servicemen to attend the Wynyard service.

An increased number of young people attending the service brought a smile to the former teacher’s face.

“I became a teacher after the war so it’s brilliant to see all these young people here who really take part in the service,” he said.

From 1940-46 he served in the RAF regiment mainly on the India/Burma border for almost three years.

He started in the humblest position as AC2 and moved his way through the ranks to squadron leader.

When asked what Anzac Day meant to him, he said it was difficult to put it into words.

Mr Bates was involved in the ninth most important battle during World War 2, Kohima, defending the aerodrome at Dimapur.

“A lot of the memories are still very sharp,” he said.

Today, Mr Bates counts himself lucky to be alive with the unkind conditions of war leaving him with malaria four times, dengue fever once and dysentery four times.

See the link for a gallery of stunners I have put together, which will get your inspiration flowing.

This winter I encourage you to give black a rest and step into the realm of fashion frivolity.

EVERY GIRL NEEDS A COAT AND JACKET

As you begin to browse the clothing racks keep in mind that (particularly in Tasmania) the weather can be freezing cold one day and mild the next.

This means that you cannot rely on one staple layer, you must own both a coat and jacket to suit the weather.

FIND A FEATURE COAT THAT FLATTERS YOU

When shopping it is easy to get carried away with the wonderful and exuberant fabrics, but be mindful of the fact that with extra detail comes extra width to your frame.

We all have small points and large points and points that need balancing out and the below advice will help you to select a coat that flatters your figure.

Keep the heavily coloured, patterned and embellished features to the part of your frame that could use the extra bulk and the neutral solid blocks of colour for the parts that don’t.

SMALL TOP HALF, LARGER BOTTOM HALF

Pear shapes, and all similar variations, need to balance out their bottom half by adding bulk to their top half. They also need to do so in a way that still highlights their small waist (or creates one) for the most balanced proportions

– Jackets should feature large and chunky lapels (collar) and a wide-cut neckline which will broaden the shoulders.

Go crazy with colour, pattern and detail.

Pears can wear a feature jacket like no other, showing off their tiny top half and distracting from a bigger bottom half. Have fun!

– Select a coat that is fitted around the top and waist, and double buttons which will create the appearance of a larger bust.

The cut should then flare out below to give a feminine silhouette while covering a larger bottom or thighs.

Make sure the cut ends at the smallest part of your thighs to give the illusion of endless slender legs.

For bright colours, patterns and embellishments keep it to the top half of your jacket and a solid block of darker colour below to draw attention to your smallest parts.

NO WAIST – APPLE AND BRICK SHAPES

Women with no waist, whether large or small in overall size, can create the illusion of one without adding unnecessary weight to their figures.

– Go for a fitted and cropped jacket with an open V-neck.

Fasten with a tie or belt around the waist which will draw the attention there and let the tie flow down to cover a larger tummy.

Large pockets below this will create the illusion of a small waist.

You can feature a solid block of colour on the jacket, but nothing too bright which will add weight to the frame.

– For coats take a different approach and split up your frame into three sections to avoid featuring a solid block of material.

A duster coat is your best option, which looks like a cardigan that has been fastened with one button at the top and then flares out to show the clothing underneath.

The idea here is to create three blocks of fabric: the left side of the coat, the top you are wearing underneath, and the right side of the coat.

Make sure the coat features a pattern and the clothing underneath should be in a contrasting colour.

This breaks up your figure, encouraging people to look at one of the three sections as opposed to your mid section as a whole.

– Another great and completely different approach is to opt for a coat with an empire waist.

These plunge down to the end of the bust and have a heavily defined waist through an extra piece of material that runs around it, sometimes with buttons, and then from here the coat will flare out slightly creating the illusion of hips while covering your extra weight.

HOURGLASS CURVES

There is a wide variety of shapes even within the hourglass parameters.

All need to show a balanced silhouette of a curvy top half, defined waist, and curvy bottom half.

But petite versions must elongate their waist to achieve this balance.

– For petite frames I would first suggest selecting a jacket or coat with a long lapel that comes down to the waist and fasten it here with a single button.

This will balance the width of bust and will elongate waist with minimal detail.

– For average-sized hourglass frames select a jacket that features double buttons at the waist.

A curved lapel and curved hemline plays up your natural curves.

– Coats with a deep V-neck that continues to the waist will cut the bust in size for balance.

A defined waist and pocket flaps positioned on the hips will play up the curvy shape.

– For all types of hourglass figures, select sleeves as these show off small wrists and thus add extra femininity to look.

BROAD SHOULDERS

– Jackets and coats should feature wider, but not chunky, lapels that stretch all the way across the shoulders which will decrease the appearance of width.

A single button at the waist will keep the focus there.

– Coats should balance you out below: creating the illusion of hips or heightening these.

Select one with large pockets at the hips and a slight flare below.

NO SHAPE

This is a figure that you can really go to town with, wearing all sorts of fabulous angular elements to create curves while playing up your long, thin legs.

– The lapels, and hemlines on sleeves and bottoms of jackets should all be angular and pointed to create shape.

A defined waist – and single button – will create the illusion of having one.

– Coats that look best flow down to a hemline to show off your lovely legs and feature a belted waist and hip pockets to create curves.

LARGE BUST AND NOTHING ELSE

Almost an hourglass but not quite, with a few clever moves you can show off your wonderful bust and create the illusion of a curvy bottom half too.

– A jacket with an open lapel that plunges down to your waist will balance our bust while also showcasing it.

Select one that has a single button which sits at the end of your ribcage (the narrowest part of your mid section) and a rounded bottom, this will create a waist.

– The best coat options should take a similar approach but feature a tulip skirt which is tailored to flare outwards around the hips then inwards just below, which creates curves for those who don’t have them.

Tasmanians have been warned not to eat wild shellfish from a number of south eastern Tasmanian waters, due to a toxic algal bloom.

Public Health acting director Dr Kelly Shaw said eating wild shellfish from the affected area may result in paralytic shellfish poisoning.

The public health alert applies to Port Esperance, Hastings Bay (Southport) and the coastline between.

“Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, or PSP, is caused by eating shellfish containing toxins that are produced by certain algae,” she said.

“These algae occur naturally and are not a health concern at low levels. Algal blooms are regular events in south eastern Tasmania at this time of year and the current increase in numbers is not unexpected.

“With the current favourable weather conditions, we’ve seen the algae rapidly ‘bloom’. This natural process leads to toxins accumulating in the shellfish as they feed on the algae, temporarily making the shellfish dangerous to eat.”

Do not eat the following seafood from the affected area:

•oysters

•mussels

•clams/pipis

•scallops with roe

•periwinkles

•the gut of abalone, crab and crayfish.

Cooking does not destroy the toxins.

Scallops eaten without the roe do not pose a risk. Abalone, crab and crayfish are safe to eat, but the gut should be removed before eating.

Symptoms of PSP include tingling in the mouth and extremities, pins and needles, unsteadiness on the feet, weakness of the arms or legs and nausea. Anyone experiencing these symptoms after eating wild seafood from or near the affected area should seek immediate medical attention.

High levels of PSP toxins can be fatal in extreme cases. Children are more susceptible.

GOOD CAUSE: Nathan Hudson, of the band Faker, performs on stage in Sydney. Hudson will perform a one-off gig as part of efforts to raise funds for three-year-old Charlotte Rataj, who has been diagnosed with leukaemia and is receiving treatment in Hobart.NATHAN Hudson, leader singer of the band Faker, will front a one-off fundraising gig at the Devonport Surf Club on Sunday afternoon.

The fundraiser will be for Shearwater three-year-old Charlotte Rataj, who has recently been diagnosed with leukaemia and is receiving treatment in Hobart.

Charlotte is the daughter of well-know former Coastal basketballer Quentin Rataj and his wife Tanya, who also have a little boy Toby.

Faker is playing in Hobart on Saturday night and then Hudson had planned to travel to the Coast to see his sister and brother-in-law, Ali and Adrian Partridge, who live in Devonport.

”It just fell into place and was a good opportunity, so he’ll do an acoustic gig,” Adrian said yesterday.

Faker is a Sydney-based band whose hit songs

There will also be a raffle with a range of local businesses donating prizes for the day.

Sonny Whiting, who kicked four goals in last year’s preliminary final, has been named on an extended bench, but also enters the match under an injury cloud.

The absentees don’t have Burnie coach Brent Plant breathing a sigh of relief.

Despite having virtually a full list to choose from, Plant said it would be foolish to write Launceston off.

“They have plenty of depth and I’m sure they will be confident with the team they take onto the park,” Plant said.

Plant could not confirm whether Darren Banham would take part in the game.

The star midfielder has been named in the Dockers’ preliminary squad for the last two weeks, but missed on both occasions with a calf injury.

“He (Banham) didn’t train on Monday night but did take part on Wednesday,” he said.

“We have another training run (today), so we will see how he wakes up and has recovered on Saturday before we make the call.”

One Docker certain to start is former Melbourne forward Russell Robertson.

After an impressive beginning to his five-game stint for Burnie in round one, Robertson will make a very welcome return.

“He had an excellent impact all-round the last time he played,” Plant said.

“Last week we really challenged our guys, because it’s not that often you beat Lauderdale at Lauderdale.

“Russell coming in will help our players maintain their intensity and focus.”

Meanwhile, Devonport will travel south to take on the undefeated Clarence.

Mark Lowe and Matt Damon come out of the Magpies side, while a list of five possible inclusions is headed by Kurt Heazlewood, who missed last week’s 62-point loss to North Launceston through work commitments.

BACK IN ACTION: Russell Robertson will line up for the Burnie Dockers this weekend. Picture: Getty Images.FORMER high-flying Melbourne forward, Russell Robertson will feature as a guest speaker at a luncheon leading up to Sunday’s big grand final rematch between Burnie and Launceston before taking to the field for the Dockers.

Robertson will play his first-ever senior game at West Park Oval on Sunday after taking to the field for Burnie in both of its recent away games against Coastal rival Devonport.

Still heavily involved with the Melbourne Football Club in the communications department, Robertson said he enjoyed getting back to the Coast to speak to local footy fans.

“I’d like to impart as much as I can about what footy is like (in Melbourne),” Robertson said yesterday.

“The game has changed dramatically since I finished three years ago, but I still like to keep a toe in the water to make sure I’m up to speed with what is happening.”

As for whether cutting his preparation short to speak at the luncheon would hinder his game, Robertson was confident he would be ready and raring to go come 1pm.

“Preparing for a game is more a mental thing than a physical thing,” he said.

“You realise with age, you will play the same regardless of whether you put in one hour of preparation or two hours of preparation.

“But each to their own.”

The luncheon will start at 11am, with the game to start at 1pm.

Tickets are $50 each, which includes lunch, drinks and entry to the football.

PLENTY OF INCENTIVE: Jarrad Gale (left) and Paul Coppleman will headline a 15-fight card at the Devonport Basketball Stadium tomorrow night. Picture: Stuart Wilson.PAUL Coppleman and Jarrad Gale are itching to get back into the ring in front of their home crowd.

The Coastal boxers, who are both now based interstate, will headline a 15-fight card at the Devonport Basketball Stadium tomorrow night.

Coppleman said his bout with Filipino Ariel Omongos, the only professional fight of the evening, would be a stern test but hoped the support of a vocal audience would help him over the line.

“I’ve never fought him before, but he will keep me on my toes because he is a knockout specialist,” Coppleman said.

“I’ll take the fight by feel and if I can get him out of there early I will.

“Hopefully there will be a good turnout.”

With the fight having been rescheduled, Coppleman admitted his 14-week preparation has been longer and less ideal than usual.

However, with the incentive of a title fight on the line, the now Melbourne- based gloveman is determined to leave nothing on the canvas.

“If I can get a win here I hope to be the challenger for the WBF Commonwealth title,” Coppleman said.

“I’m going to give it my all and hopefully get the result.”

Sunshine Coast-based Gale knows little about the way his Western Australian opponent Ben Page fights, but knows winning will be no easy task.

“I’m going in a bit blindfolded,” Gale admitted.

“I’m sure it’s going to be a tough fight, but I’ve been training pretty hard for it.

“I’m hoping it’s the home crowd which helps me get over the line.”

A premiership player with Ulverstone in the NTFL, Gale still plays football in Queensland, but admits the Sherrin has taken a back seat to sparring.

“I’m still playing footy, I’ll never give that away, but I’ve eased off it a bit to give boxing a good go,” he said.

“Turning professional could be on the cards if things go well.”

The event is being hosted by the North-West Boxing Club in conjunction with the Tasmanian Boxing League.

NO FUSS: Burnie Dockers utility Harry Walters, who celebrated his 25th birthday yesterday. Walters was one of the Dockers’ shining lights in last year’s grand final against Launceston and is primed for Sunday’s rematch. Picture: Stuart Wilson.FROM picking up the small forwards to booting goals himself, Harry Walters has been somewhat of a quiet achiever for Burnie in recent years.

The Dockers utility, who turned 25 yesterday, may not be a big personality off-field but he plays a big role on-field.

“I usually get the small, nippy forwards,” Walters said yesterday.

“I’ve been playing down back now for a few years and I definitely think it has helped me develop as a player.

“I’ve learned a lot from being in the back line, mostly about reading the play.”

Walters, who helped keep the Dockers in touch with Launceston in last year’s grand final with a late goal and assist in the third quarter, said he was primed and ready to go ahead of Sunday’s rematch.

“It’s always good to play against Launceston because it’s always a top game between the two sides,” he said.

“I’m not sure who I’ll (play on) yet, probably someone like Sonny Whiting if he plays.

“They have a strong forward line, so whoever I get will be a challenge.”

Walters said while last year’s grand final heartbreak would never be forgotten by the players, it was not something that had been spoken about in the lead-up to Sunday’s game.

“We’ll just take it as any other game,” he said.

“It’s a new year and there are new players on both sides, so you can’t really take much from last year’s grand final.”

One of the more senior players in the group this season, Walters believes the Dockers have the side to go one step better than last year.

“I think we have improved from last year,” he said.

“We’re linking up with the ball better and some of our younger players have stepped up.